Amazon pulls thousands of I.P.G. e-books

It appears Amazon and Independent Publishers Group, one of the country’s largest book distributors, aren’t getting along so well.

This week, Amazon.com pulled thousands of I.P.G. e-books from its website after a contract dispute between the two companies.

In order to maintain the Kindle’s status as a leading e-reader device, Amazon is committed to selling its e-books as cheaply as possible. So when when the Kindle contract for I.P.G. came up for renewal, Amazon pushed I.P.G. to change its terms, I.P.G. president Mark Suchomel told The New York Times. The new terms weren’t revealed, but the company told its publishers that the new deal would have substantially affected its revenue.

Neither side gave in to the other, so Amazon pulled more than 4,000 I.P.G. e-books from its website. This is the company’s most drastic move since it briefly pulled Macmillan physical books and e-books two years ago, due to a pricing dispute.

If Amazon stands its ground on this move, it will be interesting to see how it affects Kindle sales, especially as I.P.G. e-books continue to be available through Barnes & Noble, who just announced a NOOK Tablet comparable in price and storage capacity to Amazon’s Kindle Fire.